Renault pulls the curtain off the all-new Kangoo in one go. Good news: there is also an electric version of it! The new Renault Kangoo will be at dealers from spring next year. Remarkable: Renault also brings the Express to the Netherlands, a Dacia Dokker with modern Renault sauce!
Highlights
- New Renault Kangoo and Renault Express
- Renault Express is Dacia Dokker with with modern Renault sauce
- Commercial vehicle versions in personal trim and as a delivery van
- Also higher quality ‘MPV’ versions of Kangoo and Express, but not for the Netherlands
- New Kangoo ZE on the way
- Available mid next year
The wind of innovation is blowing less strongly in company car country than in the rest of the car country, so it is not surprising that various vans have a much longer lifespan than regular passenger cars. Similarly, the Kangoo. The current second generation of the model, presented in 2007, is today only dressed in a completely new costume after 13 years. The all-new Kangoo will be on the market in the middle of next year.
The new Kangoo gets a new jacket, the design of which is completely ‘Renault 2020’. There is, however, something very special going on. Renault is not only pulling the canvas of the completely new Kangoo, but also of the Renault Express. The Renault Express, unlike the new Kangoo, is basically a Dacia Dokker with a more modern Renault sauce poured over it. The Kangoo, on the other hand, is completely new. As far as design is concerned, they are very similar, although you can recognize the Renault Express based on the Dokker by its smoother rising windows and its different snout.
Renault Kangoo
The new Renault Kangoo will of course be available again internationally as a van, ‘passenger bus’ and as a higher quality passenger version. Renault even dares to describe the latter variant as an MPV. You can see that version as a competitor to cars such as the Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Rifter. The order version will of course have a sliding door again, one with a 1.42 meter wide opening behind it. Renault hangs, among other things, an ‘Easy Inside Gallery’ in the order version of the Kangoo, a kind of ‘floor’ on which you can place long objects. This way, the rest of the cargo space remains available for other items. With its relatively square headlights, where the chrome-colored elements in the grille seem to run out, the new Kangoo fits perfectly with cars like the Trafic and Master. The interior is also completely new. The design of the dashboard, complete with separate display, looks much more modern than that of the current Kangoo. The Easylink multimedia system is optional, as are things like Rear View Assist and a ‘digital’ rear view mirror.
The commercial vehicle version of the Kangoo will be available in two lengths and will feature both manual and automatic transmissions. An engine list is not yet known, but in addition to petrol and diesel engines, the new order version of the Kangoo will of course also get an electric Kangoo ZE next to it! Technical specifications are not yet known.
Renault Kangoo interior
The more luxurious ‘MPV version’ of the Kangoo can be seen as an opponent of cars such as the passenger version of the Peugeot Partner, the Rifter. The five-seater is unfortunately not coming to the Netherlands, Renault reports. Only the company car versions, so the delivery version and the ‘passenger bus’ for the Netherlands.
Renault Express
Then the Renault Express, which we do not yet know in the Netherlands. Dacia exists in various South American countries due to the lack of brand history and so cars like the Duster and Dokker are going through life under the Renault flag. The Renault version of that Dokker has been renewed and is called Kangoo Express (photo 11). As with the new Kangoo itself, the more luxurious ‘MPV version’ of it does not come to the Netherlands. The commercial vehicle versions of the renewed Renault Express do come to our country as a van and passenger bus! This is the first time that a Dacia model in Western Europe will become a Renault instead of the other way around. The Express is positioned lower in the market. The Express has a cargo area with a volume of 3.3 cubic meters. The interior of the Renault Express resembles that of the Kangoo, but it is completely different. For example, the gear lever is lower and the infotainment system is somewhat awkwardly low on the dashboard. The Renault Express is not produced in France, but in Tangier, located in Morocco.
Renault Express interior
Specific information for the Dutch market will follow soon.